Wildwood Maples

I wanted to report on an association I've had over the years with Wildwood Farm in Kenwood, California. Ricardo and Sara Monte have conspired with me to grow over twenty varieties of Japanese maples at our Vermont farm. We are in a class three hardiness zone which is not kind to Japanese maples. In spite of that, we have eight of those trees living and flourishing. Each winter we wrap them in burlap to avoid our cold winds. It is not only a treat to go through the nursery to see more than 400 varieties of maples, but to view, and yes, to purchase some of their sculptures gathered from a large group of area artists. Our most recent stop a couple of weeks ago ended in a purchase of a beautiful dwarf maple along with a hand made container which now resides in our studio. Whether you end up buying anything or just browsing you will have a most enjoyable visit and you will learn a good deal from Ricardo and Sara.Take a look at their website, www.wildwoodmaples.com.

Recently ordered a Japanese maple over the phone. The customer care was excellent as we decided on a ship date.The tree arrived timely and much bigger than I expected. The whole experience was positive and I couldnt be more pleased. Will be doing more business with these very nice people.

Sara and Ric sell the best looking and well maintained maples trees from my web experience. I have ordered from them twice and both times I received the exquisite trees in pristine condition all the way to Hawaii. I have experience ordering trees from other sellers and no one even comes close. They are the best. Will buy from no other.

I live in Bellingham, WA and I wanted to get a Japanese Maple for my sister who lives in San Francisco. I was immediately attracted to Wildwood Farm thanks to their huge and navigable online tree selection. I emailed Wildwood the specs of the location the tree would be planted in and they helped me pick the the perfect tree to fit the spot, my preference, and my budget. They even sent me pictures of a couple of the individuals they had in mind from their nursery. I can't say enough about how much care and attention they put into the whole process. Now my sister is in love with a beautiful Red Dragon Dissectum that was promptly delivered to her doorstep. Thank you, Wildwood!

I cannot say enough about the excellent customer service I experienced from both Sara and Ricardo. I was not sure what I wanted as it was a gift. They questioned me very carefully and then shipped the perfect tree. The tree arrived in two days, well packed and the tree itself was in mint condition. I highly, highly recommend Wildwood ... I don't think it is possible to have a bad experience with them. Thanks.

I have been searching for several rare Japanese Maples and Wildwood was the only nursery that had them and were willing to ship them to me. They arrived in two days and are in good shape. Ricardo and Sara have been helpful with questions both before and after I purchased the trees and I look forward to learning from and continuing to do business with them.

Sara and Rick helped me select the perfect maple for my dad. He wanted something beautiful like the Crimson Queen but didn't want to pay hundreds of dollars for it. He also is getting older and feared that he might not have 10 years left to 'watch it grow'. They provided me with a great tree at a great price. The maple arrived safely and was planted on Saturday. My dad loves it and says it was much bigger and more lush than the ones he saw at the local big box store. Many thanks for delivering such a good product. I'll be sure to share their nursery with my garden club and all of the Master Gardeners that I work with.

I went to their nursery this morning to look for another JM, I notice a very nice 18" Red Filigree Lace that has a price tag of $50.00. I am so excited to buy the tree and take her home, but unfortunately they change the price to $75.00 in front of me. According to them it was an old price. I am very disappointed because I am not a new costumer and this is my second time to visit their place. The lesson is, if you are planning to visit their store this coming Sept 8. Please make sure the plant you are buying has the right tag or else they will change it to higher price and offer back to you with a 20% or 40% discount. What an idea they still keep the old price they want.

This customer made two trips to our nursery. Each visit he selected many maples and tried to bargain over the prices. In the case of the Red Filigree maple, the label on the tree was old and faint. The tree was 5 years old; and we told him the price was $ 75.00. I'm certain that any reasonable gardener with experience in growing maples would agree this is a fair price for a rare, slow growing maple. We found a younger Red Filligree for him; but he did not wish to purchase it.

We welcome gardeners who are beginners and those who are long time collectors. We have many repeat customers and many of them have become friends over the years. We take great pride and pleasure in offering top quality trees.

Sara Monte, co-owner Wildwood Farm

I called Wildwood over a weekend to ask for the availability of a tree listed on there website. I immediately talked to someone who checked to make sure that the plant was not only in stock, but that they had one that was in good shape. The help on the phone was exceptional and the plant was immediately shipped and received in three days. I would recommend Wildwood to anyone.

Wildwood farm is amazing place , not only they have great selection of JM, also their customer service are flawless!! Sara was so helpful and their trees are just as pretty as you see on their website. I got one three year old AKA shigitatsu sawa from them, the tree is very healthy and not expensive at all compare with other places. Also the tree was wrapped carefully, was no damaged on the tree at all . I highly recommend them , and would order from them again. Best regards Kay in CA

I had initially decided to buy from Wildwood Farm due to the positive feedback here and their wonderful inventory of hard to find trees. I ordered an A.p. kamagata. and an A.p. Tana. Both Sarah and Ricardo were very pleasant and helpful on the phone. The trees that were shipped to me arrived in only two days from California to North Carolina for a very reasonable shipping cost. Unfortunately, the post office had banged up the box pretty bad and the kamagata was damaged, despite the excellent packaging. I called and spoke with Ricardo who immediately sent a replacement tree. Again, it traveled across the country in only two days, was packaged very well, and the tree was a beautiful, very healthy speciman. I am more than pleased. I would highly recommend Wildwood Farm to any potential customers.

Wildwood is a good place to get JM's... they were helpful and accurate in their descriptions of trees I was interested in...packaging was good shipping was fast and of average cost ... the trees arrived in good shape nice sized and healthy and were not expensive for size and quality. I would order from them again they have a great selection and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone here especially those looking for special hard to get JM's... David

Sara, Ric and Joe at Wildwood Farms have provided me with some of the best experiences I've ever had shopping online (which I do quite extensively). Not only are they knowledgeable and helpful (providing advice and suggestions about anything I ask) about Japanese Maples, dogwoods, etc, but they have some of the most rare and absolutely gorgeous specimens I could ever hope to find. I have purchased about 10-15 trees from Wildwood and have always been extremely happy with everything. They have always exceeded my expectations (which are very high). I highly recommend giving them a call to brighten your day and find the best stock around on some of the most beautiful trees in the world! Sincerely, stugold@ameritech.net

I have purchased 7 Japanese maples from Wildwood over the past 2 years. They were all healthy, beautiful trees, and did very well after I put them in the ground. The owners are wonderful and very helpful. They have a wide selection of Japanese maples, including many gems that are not available in the Bay Area or in other parts of California. In addition, they are very reasonably priced. I highly recommend Wildwood for anyone looking for Japanese maples.

I have bought from these nice people twice now - this past Spring and just recently. They have an excellent inventory and the prices are very good for the size and health of the plants. They also run periodic sales. The Japanese Maple offerings are nicely categorized on the website, though there are not many photos. They tell me however, that a website upgrade is in the works. The great combination of personal attention, customer service and great selection / price / packaging, makes this my first place to check when I am struck with my latest Acer palmatum craving! Victor

Placed and order for Acer shirasawanum Autumn Moon on 9/27/05 via mail. Plant arrived on 10/18/05 packaged very securely. Upon opening the package I was very pleasantly surprised with the tree. It has transplanted very well and does not seem to be going through transplant shock to any great degree. Wonderful tree! I will recommend to family and friends happily! Customer service was excellent as well.

Thank you, LanaBeth , for taking the time and updating your remarks. It is gratifying to know that our trees are flourishing throughout this great country.